30 January 2007

Da Svedonya Liberty

Just read the article and think about all the tour groups and gaggle of office holders that bemoaned the fact that the Soviet Union wouldn't let anyone meet with the natives without someone standing guard in the form of a "guide" to make sure no one said anything that disagreed with official policy.

So now we have another freedom down the drain courtesy of this most "patriotic" of Presidents. First it was the signing statements that said he didn't have to obey the parts of a law with which he disagreed, now this. If he keeps it up, we may have to move to Red Square to get a whiff of free speech.

3 comments:

Horrifying! BushCo has been stacking the agencies for the past six years and now, without the support of a rubber stamp congress, they have found a way to make it law. The worst part is, they still have two years to continue to do more damage to America's most basic freedoms. Makes me wonder if that is enough time to eliminate free elections.

About Me

Lifelong Gypsy 21 schools and continued roaming with working career. Seem to have settled down somewhat now that I've reached "senior" status, but still find all maps and schedules fascinating. Favorite movies: Two For The Road, 84 Charing Cross Road, Same Time Next Year, To Kill A Mockingbird, Torchsong Trilogy. TV: Doctor Who & Torchwood on BBC America plus Treme - Game of Thrones

Quotes

"Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." - Buddha

“Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect

But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants "just a few minutes of your time, please—this won't take long." Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time—and squawk for more!

So learn to say No—and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)”